TradeQraft has chosen to integrate Enigio’s trace:original technology into its platform to support the digitisation of core trade finance instruments, including promissory notes and bills of exchange. 

The move is designed to cut document processing times from weeks to hours and reflects growing demand for efficient, sustainable, and compliant solutions in commodity trade finance. 

Orhan Gunes, CEO of TradeQraft, highlighted the importance of the integration: 

“This isn’t just a partnership; it’s a leap toward a paperless trade ecosystem where commodity trading and producing enterprises as well as our lenders can thrive without the friction of legacy processes.” 

Enigio’s CEO, Patrik Zekkar, underlined the broader impact: 

“By integrating Enigio’s trace:original technology into TradeQraft’s agile and automated platform, they remove friction for clients who already demand speed, transparency and trust in global commodity trade. Together, we are enabling fully digital negotiable instruments to unlock the trade finance gap at scale.” 

According to TradeQraft, the integration will deliver: 

• Digital originals for promissory notes, bills of exchange and more 

• Faster cross-border transactions 

• Trusted, compliant documentation end-to-end 

• Greener operations with less paper waste 

Although still in its early stages, the integration marks an important step in enabling a scalable, paperless ecosystem for commodity traders, producers, and lenders. 

Read more at TradeQraft’s website here.

Enigio today announced the launch of its new self-serve online channel, giving small and mid-sized businesses instant access to create, manage, and send legally valid digital original documents without platform lock-in, onboarding hurdles, or complicated integrations.

 

For SMEs, freight forwarders, and trade finance providers, this means they can finally digitise the documents that matter most – from bills of lading and certificates of origin to guarantees and promissory notes – with the same legal standing as paper, but none of the friction. 

Unlike existing web platforms, which require every counterparty to sign up before documents can be exchanged, Enigio’s online channel works openly. Users can create a digital original and send it instantly – and the recipient does not need to register or join any system to receive it. 

The launch answers a clear market demand. In a recent Enigio survey of over 200 trade professionals, 81% said they still rely on ordinary PDFs and 54% still courier paper originals, leading to delays, lost shipments, and high costs. More than half reported courier expenses as their biggest pain point, while nearly two-thirds said faster, digital processes would be their top motivation to switch. 

Patrik Zekkar
CEO of Enigio

“Businesses told us they were tired of lost time, courier bills, transport incidents and the stress of chasing paper. They wanted a way to act quickly and simply, without committing to system integration and similar tech barriers. With this launch, anyone can now safely digitise their critical trade documents in minutes and trade freely with any counterparty, without forcing them to jump through too many hoops.” 

Customer interviews conducted ahead of launch reinforced the urgency, with one logistics manager in the US referring to instant transfer of trade documentation as “a game-changer". Another trade technology manager in Berlin stated that document delays are “the biggest pain point” in her workflow: “Bills of lading are so stressful, and a solution like this would be a huge relief.”  

In addition to the instant transfer of documents to their trade partners, the new service also allows companies to:

• Manage and store documents online with full traceability and audit trails 
• Support multiple document types – trade, finance, and logistics alike 
• Enable multi-user access within an organisation, so teams can collaborate securely 
• Offer the service under their own brand with built-in white-label capability 
• Choose flexible pricing with per-document use or subscription tiers 

This self-serve channel builds on Enigio’s mission to make digital trade accessible for all. By lowering barriers to entry, it brings the benefits of legally valid digital documents – speed, security, and cost savings – to SMEs, mid-sized corporates, and logistics providers worldwide. 

 

Ready to try it out? Get started by choosing your package or starting a free trial here.

 

About Enigio 

Enigio is the open network for digital trade. Its patented solution, trace:original, allows businesses to create and transfer digital original documents with the same legal and functional properties as paper. Enigio’s technology is already trusted by leading banks, corporates, and logistics providers worldwide. Learn more at www.enigio.com. 

Frankfurt, 14 July 2025 – Siemens AG, Commerzbank AG  and Fr. Meyer’s Sohn have successfully completed a proof of concept (POC) demonstrating the power of fully digital trade document flows between Germany and China. Together with the Chinese issuing bank and leveraging Enigio’s trace:original technology and its interoperability with Chinese trade platform TradeGo, the collaboration cut document processing time from approximately two weeks to under two hours.

While this was a controlled test, the implications are real. The successful transaction signals Siemens’ wider ambition: to foster digitisation of paper-based trade document flows under export letters of credit. For Commerzbank, this is a pivotal step toward offering first-to-market digital trade solutions for German exporters. For Fr. Meyer’s Sohn (FMS), it demonstrates their ongoing commitment to driving innovation in global logistics through digital documentation.

Redefining what’s possible for global trade

The transaction showcased the seamless exchange of digital original documents—including an electronic bill of lading (eBL)—between Europe and China. Under an assumed eUCP-based Letter of Credit, Siemens (exporter), Commerzbank (advising bank), the Chinese bank (issuing bank), and the importer in China completed the end-to-end process in less than two hours.

Key enablers of this success included:

• An electronic bill of lading (eBL) issued by FMS using Enigio’s trace:original technology.
• Interoperability between trace:original and TradeGo, built on DCSA standards.
• Enigio’s digital envelope, allowing Siemens to securely package and transmit documents to Commerzbank and beyond.

This approach ensures that even across different platforms and jurisdictions, original digital documents can move freely and securely—just like their paper counterparts, but faster and with greater transparency.

A bold step for Siemens and Commerzbank

For Siemens, the project demonstrates more than just operational efficiency. It can be a door-opener for modernisation and digitisation of the export letter of credit business, setting a precedent for global exporters.

Gerhard Heubeck, Global Head of Trade Finance of Siemens AG , says:

“For Siemens, the project demonstrates more than just operational efficiency. It can be a door-opener for modernisation and digitisation of the export letter of credit business, setting a precedent for global exporters. This successful proof of concept is just the beginning, and a step forward to eliminate obstacles in the usage of digital shipping documents under letters of credit. It can contribute to make operations across our global supply chain more efficient and paper-less.”

For Commerzbank, the initiative highlights its role as an innovation leader in German trade finance, ready to provide cutting-edge solutions to its clients.

“Digital trade is no longer a distant vision—it’s here. As one of the first German banks to have performed this Proof of concept with a major Chinese bank, we’re excited to explore new opportunities with electronic documents in the evolving landscape of global trade,” says Jörg Motel, Global Head of Product Management Trade Finance.

Fr. Meyer’s Sohn (FMS), issuer of the electronic bill of lading, underscores the operational impact:

“As a global logistics provider, we see first-hand the complexities and delays that paper-based processes create. This proof of concept demonstrates how digital originals like the electronic bill of lading can transform the supply chain—bringing speed, security, and transparency to international trade. It is our daily commitment to make things as straightforward and uncomplicated as possible for our customers. We are proud to be part of this pioneering initiative, supporting Siemens and Commerzbank in shaping the future of cross-border logistics,” says Heiko Voigt, CEO.

Unlocking the future of trade

While the POC serves as proof of what’s possible, Siemens and Commerzbank are now exploring how to scale these digital processes across their broader operations and customer networks. The project reinforces the role of interoperability, trust, and open networks in transforming global trade.

Steven Zhou, Executive Director at TradeGo, says:

“Under the current international situation, this collaboration has taken on new meaning. We are witnessing the creation of a new international trading system in which digitalisation will play a significant role. We are honoured to contribute to this process together with our partners.”

For Enigio, the project demonstrates how openness and interoperability can overcome fragmentation in today’s trade ecosystem. Gunnar Collin, Director at Enigio, adds:

“This collaboration proves that true digital trade doesn’t require everyone to be on the same system—just systems that can talk to each other. In today’s complex and uncertain global landscape, an open, interoperable approach is more important than ever. With Enigio’s trace:original and open network, we’re enabling frictionless digital document flows that work across borders, platforms, and industries—regardless of political or technological boundaries.”

London, 12 June 2025 – In a major milestone for cross-border trade digitalisation, Lloyds has successfully completed a live transaction for UK retailer Matalan and Chinese exporter Yatex. The transaction included a fully digital bill of exchange (dBoE) , with all other supporting documents powered by Enigio’s trace:original.

The transaction, executed via an interoperable digital channel between Enigio and TradeGo (announced in October 2024), demonstrates the viability of end-to-end digital trade execution without the need for physical courier services or paper documents. This marks a significant leap forward for the retail sector, where time and certainty have always been critical, but in today’s landscape this is becoming more important  for corporates operating globally.

What was achieved

• A fully digital bill of exchange was generated and all supporting documents were issued and accepted between parties in the UK and China in less than 24 hours. In comparison, traditional processes can take up to 45 days.
• The process was initiated by Matalan, with Lloyds drafting the undrawn dBoE in accordance with the pre-agreed instructions from a major Chinese bank.
• The digital document was seamlessly shared with the Chinese bank and Yatex via the Enigio-TradeGo interoperable channel where the exporter electronically signed and submitted collection instructions.
• Acceptance and confirmation were exchanged digitally, supported by SWIFT and Enigio’s trace:original verification tools, ensuring the authenticity and integrity of the instruments throughout.
• Given the success of this transaction, all parties have also confirmed this trade flow will now be paperless moving forward.
• This is the first interoperable transaction between TradeGo and Enigio where the goods are being exported from China to Europe.

Alex Waites, Executive Director at Enigio, said:

“This isn’t a pilot. It’s not just talk. It’s a live transaction executed under real commercial conditions, with real goods moving and real payments expected. It shows that with the right technology and collaboration, digital trade can be not only faster and safer but business-critical. We are moving to fully digital trade flows for real.”

Jon Boran, Head of Future Trade Products at Lloyds commented:

“The ability to seamlessly transfer electronic trade documents between solutions marks a new era in trade finance, and we are proud to be at the forefront of this innovation to bring real value to our client.”

Susan Ashworth, Senior Trade Finance Specialist at Matalan, stated:

“This transaction demonstrates that digital trade is quick and efficient, especially when done in close collaboration. It streamlines processes, cuts transaction times, reduces carbon emissions and lowers costs for all of the parties involved. We’re committed to digitalising more trade flows and look forward to doing that in partnership with Lloyds Bank and Enigio.”

With global supply chains facing growing complexity and unpredictability, especially in the retail sector, reducing friction and lead times is no longer a nice-to-have. This transaction shows that digital negotiable instruments can deliver tangible impact bringing processing time from days down to hours while maintaining full legal and regulatory compliance.

About Enigio

Enigio is the open network for digital trade. Its trace:original technology enables the creation and exchange of tamper-proof, digital original documents that can be freely verified and transferred — just like paper, but digital, with no need for all parties to be on the same platform. Supporting any document type and built for interoperability, Enigio’s solution is used by leading banks, corporates, and logistics providers to scale digital trade securely and sustainably.

Lloyds’ support for businesses

• Lloyds supports more than one million UK businesses with leading digital and relationship banking services, as they start up, grow, thrive and trade internationally.
• Through a network of relationship teams based across the UK, as well as internationally, it delivers a mix of local understanding and global expertise necessary to provide long-term support to its clients to help businesses fulfil their growth aspirations.
• It offers a broad range of financing beyond term lending, which spans import and export trade finance, structured and asset finance, securitisation facilities and capital market funding.
• Its product specialists provide bespoke financial services and solutions, including tailored cash management, international trade, treasury and risk management services.

Media and press contact:

Solveig Rundquist, Marketing & Communications Manager, solveig.rundquist@enigio.com

London, 9 May 2025 — Global Tea, a leading UK-based distributor, has transformed its international trade operations by adopting Enigio’s trace:original digital envelope solution. Released last year, the solution has dramatically reduced the time and complexity involved in exchanging critical trade documents, offering businesses like Global Tea faster, more secure, and cost-effective processes.

Before adopting trace:original, Global Tea was using traditional paper-based methods to manage international trade documents, which required physical transport, manual signatures, and time-consuming checks. The shift to trace:original has streamlined this process, allowing all required documents—such as seaway bills and promissory notes—to be securely transferred within minutes, aligning with the fast-paced nature of modern global trade.

Now, Global Tea digitises and places all necessary trade documents, including originals issued by Maersk, into the trace:original digital envelope once a week and transfers the documents to Lloyds for verification and secure holding. The bank then arranges for a digital promissory note to be issued via trace:original, which then enables Lloyds to allow for collection of the goods to take place. Switching from a paper-based process to entirely digital has cut the process of transferring documents between each party from taking several days or more to seconds, allowing Global Tea to maintain tight control over its global operations.

Jon Boran, Head of Future Trade Products at Lloyds said:
“We are always looking at ways to digitalise and streamline processes to enable us to help our clients drive efficiencies in their businesses, and our work with Enigio for Global Tea is a good example of that. Moving to an entirely digital process has significantly reduced the time it takes for Global Tea to complete a trade transaction – safely and securely – allowing them to trade more efficiently on a global scale.”

Global Tea’s Rhodrick Kalumpha, Group Finance Controller commented:
“Before we switched to trace:original, it could take up to a week to manage the documents required to complete international shipments. Now we do it in just a few minutes once a week, allowing us to meet deadlines with ease and improve our service to suppliers and logistics partners.”

Lars Karlsson, Global Head of Trade & Customs Consulting at Maersk, explained:
“As a mover of goods and integrator of trade, predictability and speed is critical for us in ensuring that goods are delivered on time. With trace:original the entire process of document exchange becomes part of the seamless flow of goods. There’s no waiting for documents to catch up, and that helps us keep everything on track.”

Alex Waites, Executive Director at Enigio remarked:
“The digital envelope is central to the ongoing digitalisation of trade processes. It’s fast, secure, and environmentally friendly. Businesses can now replace slow, manual, paper-based systems with a modern, efficient solution that enhances every part of the trade flow.”

About Enigio

Enigio is a tech company offering the open network for digital trade, enabling businesses to securely exchange all trade documents—such as bills of exchange, promissory notes, and eBLs —without registration or platform barriers.  Enigio’s trace:original solution ensures seamless document transfer, legal validity, and full interoperability, helping businesses replace paper workflows and scale digital trade with ease.

Lloyds’ support for businesses

• Lloyds supports more than one million UK businesses with leading digital and relationship banking services, as they start up, grow, thrive and trade internationally.
• Through a network of relationship teams based across the UK, as well as internationally, it delivers a mix of local understanding and global expertise necessary to provide long-term support to its clients to help businesses fulfil their growth aspirations.
• It offers a broad range of financing beyond term lending, which spans import and export trade finance, structured and asset finance, securitisation facilities and capital market funding.
• Its product specialists provide bespoke financial services and solutions, including tailored cash management, international trade, treasury and risk management services.

Media and press contact:

Solveig Rundquist, Marketing & Communications Manager, solveig.rundquist@enigio.com

Enigio is pleased to announce that London Forfaiting Company (LFC) has joined the open ecosystem of trace:original, taking a significant step toward the digital transformation of trade finance. By leveraging Enigio’s trace:original solution, LFC is now transacting live with fully digital trade documents, reinforcing its commitment to innovation and operational efficiency.

As the trade finance industry continues its shift toward digitalisation, LFC is embracing trace:original to enhance its document management processes. The move marks an important milestone in the company’s broader strategy to modernise trade finance instruments, improve security, and optimise transaction flows. 

“As part of our ongoing strategy, we are committed to the digitisation of trade finance instruments. Following a thorough risk assessment, we have identified the collections business as an area that stands to benefit from this development,” says Lorna Pillow, Chief Operating Officer and Deputy CEO at LFC. 

The company has already observed measurable benefits, improving both efficiency and the overall client experience. 

“This strategic initiative is already yielding positive results, enhancing operational efficiency, and providing an improved experience for LFC clients. Moving forward, we aim to extend this concept to our forfaiting offering, and we encourage other banks to join us in embracing the digital transformation,” Lorna Pillow adds. 

For Enigio, LFC’s adoption of trace:original further validates the growing momentum behind digital trade solutions. 

“London Forfaiting Company joining the Enigio open ecosystem is a pivotal step forward for digital trade,” says Patrik Zekkar, CEO of Enigio. “Their expertise and global reach amplify our mission to drive innovation and efficiency in trade finance, making fully digital transactions a reality.” 

As more financial institutions and trade finance providers recognise the advantages of electronic trade documentation, trace:original continues to set the standard for secure, scalable, and interoperable solutions. LFC’s involvement underscores the importance of industry collaboration in accelerating the transition to digital trade finance. 

About London Forfaiting Company (LFC) 

 London Forfaiting Company, a leading provider of forfaiting and trade finance solutions, has been a trusted partner for businesses worldwide since its establishment in 1984. With a global presence and decades of experience, LFC continues to innovate and adapt to meet the evolving needs of the trade finance landscape. 

About Enigio 

 Enigio is at the forefront of electronic trade solutions, offering trace:original, a legally compliant and fully interoperable solution for digital trade documents. With a commitment to efficiency, security, and sustainability, Enigio enables businesses to transition from paper to digital with ease. 

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Stockholm, Sweden – 18 November 2024 

Enigio is proud to announce that trace:original has become the first digital trade solution to successfully complete the ICC DSI Digital Trade Reliability Assessment. 

This verification confirms that trace:original meets the stringent requirements of the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR), ensuring its ability to securely manage digital trade documents with the same legal recognition and protection as paper documents. 

“We’re thrilled to see trace:original recognised as the first MLETR Reliable solution,” said Patrik Zekkar, CEO. “This milestone is not just a validation of our technology but a critical step forward for the industry. The framework provides businesses with the trust and clarity they need to embrace digital trade and unlock its full potential, particularly for SMEs.” 

The ICC Digital Standards Initiative (DSI) and Digital Governance Council (DGC) developed the reliability framework to address the growing demand for secure, compliant, and interoperable digital trade solutions. Enigio’s trace:original passed rigorous evaluation, demonstrating its readiness to support businesses in transitioning to efficient, paperless trade processes. 

This achievement positions trace:original as the reliable choice for businesses, financial institutions, and trade participants seeking to modernise their operations. 

Learn more about the ICC DSI Digital Trade Reliability Assessment here, and access the assessment framework here. 

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In a landmark collaboration, Enigio and TradeGo have developed an interoperable digital channel for electronic trade documents, facilitating trade between Europe and China.    

This connected digital channel streamlines the entire process for all stakeholders, including logistics providers, exporters, importers and their banks.  Whether using Letters of Credit, Documentary Collections or Open Account terms, this enables transactions that previously took up to two weeks to be completed in just one business day.   

TradeGo and Enigio have built an integration leveraging the Digital Container Shipping Association’s (DCSA) electronic bill of lading (eB/L) standards. This means that users of Enigio’s trace:original in Europe, or elsewhere, can now digitally transact with users of TradeGo in China.   

A real-world example of this success was demonstrated when global freight forwarder and carrier, Fr Meyer’s Sohn Seaways AG (FMS), issued an electronic bill of lading, under English law, to Global Forest Products Sweden AB, a pulp and paper trader. This bill of lading, together with other trade documents, was then electronically presented to one of the UK’s leading banks, Lloyds, who was the advising bank under a Letter of Credit issued by a major Chinese bank, and subject to the ICC’s e-rules for Documentary Credits – the eUCP.  Lloyds then transferred the eB/L and supporting documentation to the Chinese bank, who then transferred the documents electronically to the importer, a wood pulp importer in Jinan, China. To complete the transaction, the eB/L was surrendered by FMS Qingdao. 

This demonstrates that all the pieces needed to transact digitally are now in place, including the UNCITRAL Model Law for Electronic Transferable Records (“MLETR “) legal framework, ICCs eUCP and Enigio’s trace:original technology interoperable with the TradeGo platform. The highway of end-to-end global trade digitalisation is now open.    

“This is a breakthrough for exporters and importers across Europe and China,” said Ulf Eggefors, Director, Transport & Logistics, at Enigio. “Our digital solution now delivers global coverage and a secure, fast and sustainable network for trading digitally. What is most exciting is the ease of use. The days of relying on paper processes and waiting for courier envelopes are behind us.” 

Steven Zhou, Director, Commercial Dept., at TradeGo said “the best part of this collaboration is that users in different regions can conveniently choose the solution provider which suits them, especially for banks, who don’t have to put much effort into accessing multiple platforms. Solution providers can focus their efforts on serving the markets around them, thereby contributing to global trade digitalization as a whole.” 

Heiko Voigt, CEO of Fr.Meyer’s Sohn, echoed the sentiment, saying, “We are extremely happy and proud to successfully digitalise the first LC based shipment from Europe to China. This is a great milestone on our path to lead trade digitalisation. Thanks to all involved partners and colleagues on this project.” 

Andreas Ceder, CEO of Global Forest Products Sweden AB, added, “Global Forest Products is committed to modernising the pulp and paper industry by adopting digital solutions to streamline traditionally manual processes. As part of our ongoing efforts to enhance operational efficiency and better serve our suppliers and customers, we are prioritising the digitisation of trade documentation across key markets, such as China.” 

Gwynne Master, Managing Director, Trade and Working Capital at Lloyds, said, ”The opening of the Enigio and TradeGo digital highway between Europe and China demonstrates the value of global collaboration, underlining the importance of interoperability to drive the adoption of digital trade. We look forward to completing the first live transaction, and to leveraging this highway to make transacting between the UK and China faster, simpler, and more sustainable for our clients.” 

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Oracle Financial Services and Enigio join forces to explore how the trace:original electronic document technology can be offered to Oracle’s customers to provide seamless end-to-end digital transfer of title to trade documents.  

The combined solution of Oracle and Enigio can help drive forward Oracle’s unique design philosophy to provide a fully digital front-to-back capability for the trade finance industry.  

This collaboration can enable Oracle to provide and manage legally compliant electronic trade documents and seamless data transfer for their customers and all counterparts in each trade transaction without needing to onboard onto another platform.  

Enigio is a technology company providing the patented B2B SaaS technology trace:originalTM 

Enigio’s trace:originalTM  is an interoperable solution for digitised original documents, ensuring consistency, integrity, traceability and possession of digital information. 

trace:originalTM  can be used for any type of documents required in global trade and is fully compliant with the Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR).  The solution is used by banks, exporters, transport and logistics companies, for negotiable instruments, documents of title, and certificates, including electronic bills of exchange, promissory notes, bills of lading, guarantees, certificates of origin, warehouse receipts, etc.  

Oracle offers a comprehensive solution for managing the trade finance operations of financial institutions in a unified manner. The solution enables banks to improve their overall operational efficiency, improve visibility, streamline, and automate trade finance operations. The solution suite offers end-to-end capabilities for a diverse range of trade finance instruments like documentary credits, guarantees, and documentary collections, and automates the life-cycle processing of trade finance transactions.  

While digitisation and digitalisation of trade workflows has been a primary focus area of the trade community, the industry has also realized that without ensuring digital trade document interoperability, all progress will result in digital islands with limited scope for industry wide adoption. The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Model Law on Electronic Transferable Records (MLETR), the Digital Container Shipping Association’s (DCSA) e-bill of lading using open standards, and the  International Chamber of Commerce’s Digital Standards Initiative (ICC’s DSI)   all promote these three pillars to progressively reap the benefits of digital trade. Digital trade enablers like electronic trade documents, digital signatures, and structured data standards are the key bedrock for driving trade finance interoperability.   

Some words from Conor Colleary, senior vice president, Consulting, Oracle Financial Services.  

Some words from Patrik Zekkar, CEO of Enigio.

“Oracle is a leader when it comes to fintech collaboration and we are always exploring innovative technologies that complement our solutions and offer enhanced features to our customers.  Enigio, with its unique solution comprising a public registry, PKI-based transfer of title and document hashing, provides a seamless solution to support both electronic and digital transfer of trade documents and data, bringing a new paradigm for digital trade finance document management”.

“We are excited to add another significant global partner that understands the benefits and opportunities of trace:original’s technology and interoperability to enable full digitalisation of global trade at a very important moment in trade modernisation and enhancement.”

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